The Strongest Form of Magic

The final night of the 2026‑27 season is an unforgettable, kaleidoscopic journey through the best of 19th‑ and 20th‑century music, captured here for concert‑film lovers. A thrilling opening trio of Wagnerian grandeur sets the tone with “Entry of the Guests” from *Tannhäuser*, the majestic Prelude to Act I of *Lohengrin*, and the legendary “Ride of the Valkyries” from *Die Walküre*. The program then dips into the romantic elegance of Anton Czech master Antonín Dvořák with his beguiling “Nocturne” for string orchestra. The effervescent pianist Sophie Lippert shines as soloist in Peggy Glanville‑Hicks’ intriguing *Etruscan Concerto*, breathing new life into a lesser‑known masterpiece. Composer Briar Pastriti returns for a U.S. premiere of his rousing symphonic poem *Pegasus*, a tour de force that recalls the hit “Ákri” of last October. In a fitting finale, Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece *The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra*, opus 34—originally written in 1946 for an educational film and later featured in the Oscar‑nominated *Moonrise Kingdom*—concludes the concert, accompanied by a surprise special‑guest narrator who brings the orchestral primer to vivid life. **Details & tickets**.